Haldiram's crucial data stolen; hackers demand Rs 7.5 lakh to release info

Hackers have allegedly stolen crucial data of popular food and snack company Haldiram's and have demanded Rs 7,50,000 for releasing the information which includes financial and sales details, according to Noida Police.

The unidentified accused hacked the server of the company based in the industrial Sector 62 of Noida using a cyber malware popularly called 'Ransomware Attack', the police said.

According to the FIR lodged at Sector 58 police station, the cyber attack took place on the intervening night of October 12 and 13 and the hackers may have stolen "entire or substantial data" of the company which runs several restaurants and outlets.

The complaint made by a Haldiram's official said that an IT official of Haldiram's consequently accessed the Firewall programme on the company's servers and found some traffic generating from servers, showing certain IP addresses.

"Finally, the officials of the company found out that some programme was being executed on the aforementioned servers and all the data of the company was being diverted from and going out from the servers of the company," it stated.

" Therefore, the said programme was immediately terminated by the officials along with the connectivity to all systems at branch locations of the company. However, it is apprehended that till the said disconnection was undertaken by the officials, may be the entire or substantial data may have already been stolen from the servers of the company," it stated.

The company said its official raised a complaint with its data security and cyber security firm, Trend Micro, and alleged that all files and sensitive data of the firm had been encrypted by the hacker, thereby, preventing its officials from interacting with their files, data, applications and systems.

It said that the hackers, to give effect to a pre-planned criminal conspiracy, have not only stolen data from the servers and systems of the company but have also contacted company officials through certain servers to illegally extort money to provide back the access to the company's own data and to delete the stolen data from the servers and systems.

The data includes but not limited to financial, HR, sales/purchase and other data/information)

A Haldiram's representative claimed the hacker(s) have demanded a ransom of Rs 7,50,000 in order to decrypt the servers of the company including all its files, data, applications, systems, etc and delete the stolen data from their own systems.

The Noida Police said they have taken up investigation and its Cyber Cell is working on the case.

"The allegations have been found to be true by our Cyber Cell, which is now probing the case. Whatever points and facts emerge during the probe, the matter would be dealt with accordingly," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Noida, Ranvijay Singh said.

The FIR has been lodged against unknown accused under Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating), 384 (extortion) and under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act, the police said.